"How To Anger Your Attacker" on the Today Show this morning

[Cupcake]

Doing a little channel surfing before work I caught the end of a segment they were calling "Self Defense Tactics That Work." I didn't catch who the guest presenter was but by the way she moved I'm guessing that she has some martial arts background. The "tips" that I caught included basically using everyday items as weapons.

Jam him in the head or ribs or groin with your cel-phone antenna. (maybe it is better than trying to call 911 during the attack)

The classic keys to the eyes.

slash him with a nail file.

My favorite: use a pen to stab him in the carotid artery (then she deomonstrats a quick jab at the neck, as if you could hope to hit the artery with a blind stick) . She also said you could stab him in the temple.

If you are taken completely by suprise maybe these are decent distraction until you can draw your gun, but I think these are gonna get some girl beaten in addition to being raped.

If you acknowledge that it is possible that bad people might come for you one day and noone will be there to save you, then why on earth not pack a piece?

I understand why you might not feel the need if you believe that it won't happen to you or that 911 will save you. (you are wrong by the way, but I wouldn't carry a gun either if I thought there were no threats out there) But to acknowledge the danger and carry a ballpoint pen for protection? Isn't that like knowing that you are going to walk across a busy highway today and wearing a helmet instead of looking before you cross the street?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[4my son]

Thanks for the heads up, i will surely sent it to all my female friends, NOT. I agree with you on carrying a piece, If you are going to prepare yourself to fight, then by god, be ready to go all out, or not at all.

If you are taken completely by surprise maybe these are decent distraction until you can draw your gun, but I think these are gonna get some girl beaten in addition to being raped.

I couldn't agree more.

[tk4878]

There are places that I can't carry. Namely work. I work in the middle of a bad drug neighborhood that we call crack central.
I carry pens and a nail file. Would I pull them out for self defense first? NO. That would not be my first action. Women do have choices for self defense. I have my knife and pepper spray. I have my voice to scream. And I practice martial arts if any of that fails.
But the number one weapon is my mind. I look around, stay alert, and am aware of what is around me.
If I had to teach some woman who had refused to train with a gun, I would tell them this. STAY OFF THE DAMN CELL PHONE. Avoid any area that doesn't look right. Get in your car and leave or go back into the building you left, etc. You use what you got, but you have to have something more than a dang pen. What if it broke off or is slippery with blood...then where would you be? Learn some strike points, carry one if not two knives(and take a knife class), get some training to use pepper spray, learn to scan your surroundings and avoid confrontations. Don't wear clothes/shoes that makes it impossible to run. Yes kick off those useless heels ladies. oh and have I said GET SOME TRAINING?

[srfl]

I've always found it morbidly (and sadly) comical whenever news personalities hosted self defense "experts" that espouse effective hand-to-hand techniques as the sole reliable way to defense oneself from an aggressive (and many times) larger attacker, but then roll their eyes regarding the use of guns as defense tools. Some even say a gun will only be taken away and used on the victim by the attacker.

Oooookay.

[simon]

The attacker can take my gun away from me and use it on me ....but it will have to be after I have used it first...several times...in rapid sucession....to COM...

[aus71383]

Great now we won't be taking ball point pens or nail files on airplanes....

Austin

[JD]

Great now we won't be taking ball point pens or nail files on airplanes....

Austin

I thought nail files were all ready banned on flights?

[goawayfarm]

H2H is better than nothing.....the older I get, the younger the BGs seem to get.

BUT a lot of people who are victims are kind-hearted people (read as 'sheeple'). These types are very unlikely to have the intestinal fortitude to actually use H2H in their sefense.

The skills that they see on a TV news report should always be qualified with 'SEEK PROPER TRAINING FROM A PROFESSIONAL'. (This applies to those who carry a firearm as well!)

If more people had a self-defense mindset, it would make things a lot harder for the BGs. Instead of most going about their day in 'condition white', they would reap a lot of other benefits as well. From seeing a lot more of what's going on around them to deterring BGs from their very attitude.

[FN1910]

STAY OFF THE DAMN CELL PHONE.

Are you unamerican or something? Everyone has the right to walk around totally engrossed in their cellphone conversation without interruption and all BG's should respect that.

[jframe38]

Guns are not allowed in NY City. That's probably why they were using a pen, nail file, etc. So if a BG dies from bleeding to death with a pen to the artery what would be the difference if CWPs were allowed and the BG was shot to death?
Probably would be easier to get off using a pen as a "lethal" weapon.

[TN_Mike]

At the last TV station I worked at before moving here to the Memphis area, we had a "self-defense expert" on our morning show espousing much the same drivel. After his segment, as I was taking his mic back and he was gathering his things to leave I asked him why he didn't suggest people get training on how to use a handgun and get a permit to carry it.
He said he doesn't think most people are competent to carry a gun. Interesting that he doesn't think someone should get good training on the use of a proven self-defense tool like a handgun but he feels they are competent enough to use a pen to stab someone in the neck after only seeing him demonstrate how to do so only once or twice on TV at 7am in the morning. I realized then that this man was an idiot.
I told him to have a good morning and showed him to the door.

[paramedic70002]

Jam him in the head or ribs or groin with your cel-phone antenna. (maybe it is better than trying to call 911 during the attack)

The classic keys to the eyes.

slash him with a nail file.

use a pen to stab him in the carotid artery. She also said you could stab him in the temple.

But then won't he be able to take your cell phone, keys and nail file?

At the last TV station I worked at before moving here to the Memphis area, we had a "self-defense expert" on our morning show espousing much the same drivel. After his segment, as I was taking his mic back and he was gathering his things to leave I asked him why he didn't suggest people get training on how to use a handgun and get a permit to carry it.
He said he doesn't think most people are competent to carry a gun. Interesting that he doesn't think someone should get good training on the use of a proven self-defense tool like a handgun but he feels they are competent enough to use a pen to stab someone in the neck after only seeing him demonstrate how to do so only once or twice on TV at 7am in the morning. I realized then that this man was an idiot.
I told him to have a good morning and showed him to the door.

There is so much common sense, plain-speak and truth in that post that I shudder.

[friesepferd]

hm. that just reminded me of a time when i was quite young (donno how old) and i was in youth group or something like that and they had someone come in and teach us about self defense. i remember thinking even back then,
'i can think of a much more effective way or defending myself"